Tazewell and neighboring counties announce new aquaculture facility

TAZEWELL, VA (WOAY) – Tazewell and surrounding counties announce an aquaculture facility is to be built in the region. 

Deemed as Project Jonah, the investment will serve as the world’s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility, and it will be sized at roughly 1,000,000 square feet.

Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young says this project has been years in the making, and will provide hundreds of jobs.

“These are non-coal-related jobs that won’t be subject to the cycles that we see with coal of constant up and down. These 20,000 tons of salmon that leave here every year should supply steady, secure jobs for our residents and an income of about $43,000 each,” Young said.

The project is estimated to provide at least 200 jobs, as well as additional service jobs for the facility.  

The facility will be located near Southwest Virginia Community College. 

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